Walter Mondale

Walter Mondale (5 January 1928-) was Vice President of the United States from 20 January 1977 to 20 January 1981 under Jimmy Carter, succeeding Nelson Rockefeller and preceding George H.W. Bush; he had also served as Senator from Minnesota (D) from 30 December 1964 to 30 December 1976, succeeding Hubert Humphrey and preceding Wendell Anderson.

Biography
Walter Mondale was born in Ceylon, Minnesota on 5 January 1928, and he graduated from Macalester College in 1951. Mondale served in the US Army during the Korean War before earning a law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1956, and he became a lawyer in Minneapolis. Mondale served as Attorney-General of Minnesota from 1960 to 1964, when he acceded to the US Senate as a Democratic Party member after Hubert Humphrey became Vice-President of the United States. In 1966, Mondale was elected to a full term in the Senate, and he was re-elected for four terms. In 1976, he resigned to serve as Jimmy Carter's vice presidential candidate, and he was sworn into office on 20 January 1977. Mondale advocated Carter's foreign policy while traveling across the nation, but the worsening economy and the failed Iran hostage rescue attempt led to Carter being painted as a horrible president. Carter and Mondale failed to win re-election, and Mondale ran as the Democratic nominee for president in 1984. However, he won only his home state during the election and just 40.6% of the electoral vote. He returned to practicing law after the failed election campaign, and he narrowly lost the 2002 senatorial election after the death of Senator Paul Wellstone in a plane crash.